Earls on the Ave
From UANotebook
Contents |
The Old Earl's
formerly at:
(old address)
(link to pictures of old location)
2005 November 8
Earl's on the Ave. to close doors
by Andrew Sengul 2005-11-08
Earl's on the Ave. has deep roots in the U-District, but plans to demolish the the bar's building on Northeast 47th and University Way have put the future of the popular watering hole in doubt.
Regulars say Earl's is the only place in Seattle where medical students rub shoulders with longshoremen. The bar's staff and patrons alike said they hope its welcoming atmosphere will persist once it has found a new location.
On any given night, members of the crowd at Earl's come from many walks of life. Tony Guill, a part-time dock worker and caterer, said he has been drinking at Earl's since 1983, when it was a Shakey's Pizza location. Guill has found six jobs and dozens of friends during his nights at Earl's.
"Hippies, artists and hardworking folks alike have been through this place," said Guill. "A lot of people who drink here don't know where they'll go once this place closes. There's one gentleman in his '70s who comes here, and this is his only route to go out and have fun. He doesn't know what he'll do once Earl's closes. And then you have a lot of college kids coming here when they turn 21 for their first birthday drink."
One such visitor was throwing back his first legal shots of tequila last Tuesday night. Eugene Gregory, a junior in the UW's Business School, went to Earl's with his fraternity brothers from Delta Tau Delta to throw darts, watch sports and take staggering steps down the road to unconsciousness.
"At Earl's, rule number 76 is 'no excuses, play like a champion,'" said Gregory. "It's a good place to set the standard for the years to come. This is where you start the nights that end with you passed out in a shower."
The future of Earl's came into question about a year ago when the owners of the Wilsonian down the street made plans to demolish all buildings on its block to make way for a shopping complex. Earl's owner Robert McLaughlin is searching for a new location in the U-District but said he has yet to make definitive plans.
He's considered purchasing the All-American on Northeast 43rd Street, but does not know whether it would be possible. If there are no available buildings on the Ave., McLaughlin may try setting up the next Earl's on Brooklyn Avenue Northeast or Roosevelt Way Northeast.
The staff at Earl's approach their jobs as they would a nightly party with old friends -- and there's little difference, save for the fact that the bartenders and bouncers can't drink. They have been known to blow fireballs with Bacardi 151 on occasion, though.
"When a bar closes and you're a regular, you just lose a spot to drink, but when a bar closes and you work there, you lose the job, the friends you have there, your entire niche," said bartender Nic Berry.
Like many Earl's employees, Berry is a UW alumnus. He got his job through a Psi Upsilon fraternity brother who worked at the bar. His co-worker Sarah Dickmann takes classes at the UW between nights behind the bar at Earl's.
"I got laid off a few times too many in the IT sector and started working a day a week here, and eventually I became a bartender," said Dickmann, who has re-started her college education at the UW after dropping out during the dotcom era. "The clientele are great and you can't get drinks like ours anywhere else. I just hope that doesn't change."
Having experienced Earl's as a student and a bartender, Berry said he hopes the diverse crowd attracted to the bar will stay together after the move.
"One time Greg was sitting here and drinking his Irish coffee like he always does," said Berry, indicating an older customer. "A college girl came up and asked me for a free shot. I said sure, if she showed her boobies to Greg. So she flashes him, she gets a free shot and he goes back to reading the sports page. It's a beautiful thing, and it only happens in the U-District."
2005 November -- Guerilla Queer Bar invades Earl's
(GQB post)
(simbelmyne's story here)
The New Earl's
4333 University Way NE
University District
Seattletonia, Wash. 98105
2006 January 9
Der All-American ist kaput
originally posted to the Urban Archivist:
Everybody’s (hello Echoree!) favorite frat bar on the Main Ave seems to be no more. Today I saw part of the windowed facade busted open wider than a sorority-Girls Gone Wild cheap, flimsy, aquired-from-Target top. Several of the large window panes were removed, as was the front door while a gaggle of manly men — who looked, curiously, like post-baccalaureate frat boys — moved fixtures, televisions, and music equipment into a van out front. The reservoir of pheromones, collected behind the doors through years of bad pick-up lines, pelvic-grinding, and the sweet musky drippings of horny greeks, was finally enuncumbered and could be seen metaphysically spilling out onto the sidewalk. Being heavier than air, it oozed close to the ground, bubbling and boiling menacingly no higher than crotch level. As I walked past the building, I could feel the pheromones creeping up my leg for an upskirt glance. At first I felt violated but then felt vindication as what they found up there was likely not what they expected.
Later, I saw a public notice posted in the window. Apparently, Earl’s is moving from its condemned property on the Upper Ave down to the main crossroads of campustown. I hope they put a better facade on their new digs; the All-American’s was pretty uninspired. Although Earl’s is, well, Earl’s it is certainly a slight step up from the All-American — not quite a full step, not even a half-step… but maybe the equivalent of a 2×4 placed flat on the ground for an extra 1 3/4 inch boost.
2006 February 9
Maureen Trantham
2006-02-09
Soon to be replaced by the shouts of students and the jukebox's blare, the sound of drills and hammers heralds the opening of Earl's on the Ave's new location near Northeast 45th Street and the Ave.
Previously the site of sparsely populated watering hole The All American, Earl's owner and UW alumnus Robert McLaughlin is optimistic about the bar's new home.
"It's new and it's nicer. I don't know if I would say upscale, but it's definitely nicer," said McLaughlin, with a chuckle. "It's bigger too, if you can believe it, even without the second story."
Earl's former location -- known for its frequently rowdy crowds and potent Long-Island Iced Teas -- is slated to be demolished along with several other neighboring buildings in the coming months.
An extensive shopping and apartment complex will replace the buildings.
"We didn't move because we wanted to. We moved because they're tearing that building down. We've known for a year that it was going to happen. We just didn't know when until the first week of November [2005]," McLaughlin said.
The All American officially closed its doors on Jan. 4, and workers began retrofitting the space on Jan. 6.
"It's a better part of the Ave. and we won't have some of the old [security] issues we had around 50th," said McLaughlin. "There's a dangerous group of folks that hang out up there, and we want them to stay up there."
Earl's last night at its old location was Jan. 28.
"We'd tried to bring the Earl's feel to the new location, just with more Husky," said McLaughlin, pointing out the newly installed purple pool table tops and purple-and-gold painting accents.
McLaughlin's favorite aspect of Earl's new location, however, is the second bar station. Recalling that the line and wait time for drinks at the old location could be long, McLaughlin is confident that patrons will now have no problem getting drinks even on a busy night.
"Having three bartenders [at two bar stations] will make things easier and more efficient," said Sarah Dickmann, a UW biology major who has worked at Earl's for the past four years.
Earl's is retaining its entire staff from the old location, but the period between the closing of the old Earl's and opening the new location has been put a financial strain on employees who subsist on tips.
"I've tried to give them odd jobs to do, but I feel bad because we were supposed to open last Wednesday," said McLaughlin.
Dickmann and fellow bartender Joe Zumba have spent the last few days refurbishing stools and assisting with cleanup.
"I'm excited to be closer to where the action is," said Zumba, polishing the second bar station. "Being closer to the UW will bring us a much better crowd."
Earl's new location will open either tonight or Friday depending on final construction details.
"Come back," said McLaughlin. "We're the same old Earl's."
Photographs the new Earl's
